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Updated: Nov 9, 2021 56 Comments · by

Coffee Break: Multi Cube Timer/Rotating Timer

Coffee Break | · ·

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I purchased this little timer a few weeks ago in white, and I have to say it's pretty clever — you rotate it from side to side to give yourself chunks of time to focus and do tasks. Mine has 5-, 15-, 30-, and 60-minute increments — you basically just turn it so the time you want is on top of the box, and then the screen rotates to show you how much time remains. There's a little beep to let you know the timer has started, and a blinking red light. Then when the time is up, it buzzes. (It's totally silent in the interim.)

The buzzer is a bit annoying — I just turn it screen-side down to shut it off immediately, and then usually forget about it.

But I'm finding I do use this, and often — I'll try to give myself a “power hour” to Do the Things I Don't Want to Do, or to break the work into segments like the Pomodoro method specifies. (They don't have a 25-minute option, but I've never really felt like there's been magic in that particular number anyway, at least for me.) I could also see it being great if you've got a billable hour!

I feel like it's a bit superior to using Siri — just picking up my phone can lead to a world of distractions sometimes. And I tried to use the app Forest previously, but neither the phone nor PC version really worked well for me.

The timer cube is $18.90 and comes in a variety of colors. (My description of how it works all applies to the white one, since it seems the time options may be different depending on what color you get.) I recommend!

Readers, what other fun ways do you have to manage your time?

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Sales of note for 10.10.24

  • Nordstrom – Extra 25% off clearance (through 10/14); there's a lot from reader favorites like Boss, FARM Rio, Marc Fisher LTD, AGL, and more. Plus: free 2-day shipping, and cardmembers earn 6x points per dollar (3X the points on beauty).
  • Ann Taylor – Extra 50% off sale (ends 10/12)
  • Banana Republic Factory – Up to 50% off everything plus extra 25% off your $125+ purchase
  • Boden – 10% off new styles with code; free shipping over $75
  • Eloquii – Extra 50% off a lot of sale items, with code
  • J.Crew – 40% off sitewide
  • J.Crew Factory – 50% off entire site, plus extra 25% off orders $150+
  • Lo & Sons – Fall Sale, up to 35% off
  • M.M.LaFleur – Save 25% sitewide
  • Neiman Marcus – Sale on sale, up to 85% off
  • Spanx – Lots of workwear on sale, some up to 70% off
  • Talbots – 50% off 2+ markdowns
  • Target – Circle week, deals on 1000s of items
  • White House Black Market – Buy one, get one – 50% off full price styles

Sales of note for 10.10.24

  • Nordstrom – Extra 25% off clearance (through 10/14); there's a lot from reader favorites like Boss, FARM Rio, Marc Fisher LTD, AGL, and more. Plus: free 2-day shipping, and cardmembers earn 6x points per dollar (3X the points on beauty).
  • Ann Taylor – Extra 50% off sale (ends 10/12)
  • Banana Republic Factory – Up to 50% off everything plus extra 25% off your $125+ purchase
  • Boden – 10% off new styles with code; free shipping over $75
  • Eloquii – Extra 50% off a lot of sale items, with code
  • J.Crew – 40% off sitewide
  • J.Crew Factory – 50% off entire site, plus extra 25% off orders $150+
  • Lo & Sons – Fall Sale, up to 35% off
  • M.M.LaFleur – Save 25% sitewide
  • Neiman Marcus – Sale on sale, up to 85% off
  • Spanx – Lots of workwear on sale, some up to 70% off
  • Talbots – 50% off 2+ markdowns
  • Target – Circle week, deals on 1000s of items
  • White House Black Market – Buy one, get one – 50% off full price styles

And some of our latest threadjacks here at Corporette (reader questions and commentary) — see more here!

Some of our latest threadjacks include:

About Kat

Kat Griffin is the founder, publisher, and editor-in-chief of Corporette. You can read more about her here.

Comments

  1. anon4this

    I am getting headshots done, and I am wondering whether it is worth it to get my makeup done professionally before them. Also, any advice on what to wear. Thanks!

    • Cat

      I think timing the shoot for the most flattering light outdoors, if possible (Golden Hour is real) is way more important than professionally done makeup. The world’s best makeup job can still look harsh if the sun is right overhead or you’re in fluorescent lighting IMHO.

    • AZCPA

      Industry and use of the headshot matters a lot for this For a small image on a company website, I wouldn’t bother with pro makeup. For a headshot that will be larger than life during a panel, I might. Clothes depend on what’s typical in your industry (though generally wear solid flattering colors) – maybe what’d you’d wear to a fairly important meeting in your field.

    • Anon

      I didn’t have my makeup done professionally, but I hit my makeup bag extra hard before my headshot and I could have even done more. Don’t be afraid of your blush!

    • aBr

      Not what you are asking but, a million votes for getting your hair done before a headshot or even your DL picture. I’ve had the best luck with having my hair dresser do it for a professional blow out rather than a blow dry bar. Other advice, make sure you get lots of sleep and hydration. A good photographer can compensate for a lack of blush … they can’t fix the dark circles under your eyes.

      • Senior Attorney

        Great point about the driver’s license photo. Mine turned out unexpectedly great last time, just as a fluke, and it makes me happy every time I look at it. Highly recommend that everybody do whatever it takes to make that happen.

        • Anon

          In my driver’s license photo, I closely resemble Michael Jackson “after” his many procedures. Not good.

    • Anon

      After a few headshot iterations, I should have had my hair done. New products from Sephora and a lesson worked for the makeup, but I couldn’t overcome the humidity on a bad hair day :(

    • Anon

      I can handle doing my own hair ok, but I found myself much more confident getting my headshot done when my makeup was done by someone who knows much more than I do, and has access to products that do more work than my usual. I got mine done at Sephora (where they do your makeup in exchange for you purchasing I think $50 worth of products), got some new makeup out of it, and my headshot turned out great.

  2. Anon

    Regarding the sweat pants thread this morning, please hit me with your “technical” pants recommendations for cusp/plus sized (can wear straight size 18 or XXL if offered).

    I bought the alternative pants from Athleta featured in this post: https://corporette.com/allison-pant/

    Someone said something like “ugh, those are pandemic pants” and yes, I’m looking for pandemic pants I guess! I like the nylonish fabric, I like the looser non-leggings fit, I like the machine washability. I’m WHF permanently so Pandemic Pants 4 Lyfe!

  3. Diana Barry

    Moms of older kids (this is somewhat of a piggyback on the morning thread) – how do you find a new nanny/babysitter when you don’t need as many hours, etc.? My kids are 14/11/9, and our nanny is leaving us in the spring. She is fantastic, does errands and grocery shopping, calls and makes kids appts, supervises homework, gets our kids to actually do their homework, practice, etc., *without complaining*, drives them around to activities, etc. Realistically I could deal with having someone from like 2-5 every day with a couple of late days (8-9) to accommodate late activities. Would I still be looking on care dot com? Where else?

    • Anon

      I posted on Facebook looking for someone to take my kids to school in the mornings when I was doing a lot of business travel (husband did pickup) and our old babysitter from when they were toddlers responded and took the job. I guaranteed her 2 hours a day 5 days a week whether I used her or not to make it worth her while. She did our job every morning before her “real” job for a little extra cash.

      She fed them breakfast, helped them pack their lunches and get out the door on time, and dropped them off at two different schools. It didn’t take two hours but that’s what we paid her for.

    • Anone

      Care dot com is geared to parents of younger kids, imo. At your stage, I would rely on word of mouth, Nextdoor and the like.

    • Senior Attorney

      I almost feel like the job description you are looking for is more “personal assistant” than “nanny” or “babysitter.” So think about where you would look for somebody like that.

      • Anon

        I disagree – if the person is going to be working directly with children, they need to know it’s a nanny position (or at least nanny-adjacent)

          • Anonymous

            I had a similar job and the title was “mother’s helper.” I found the job via an announcement sent to my college sorority, which also meant that when I eventually couldn’t take on all the hours, we were able to split the job with one of my friends/sorority sisters and there was still consistency. This might be a great job for someone looking to work while in school.

          • Senior Attorney

            There you go: “Mother’s helper.” Should be “parents’ helper” but we all know the reality.

    • Annony

      If you have the space for it (mentally and physically), an au pair might be an option!

    • Anonymous

      If I remember right, you are in MA. I’d post on college job boards. You probably won’t want an undergrad but I did work like this as a grad student. Guarantee days/hours and pay whether or not
      You need it.

    • Anon318

      My sister had a job like this throughout grad school. If I recall correctly, she heard about it through her church’s community FB group. If you do have a religious affiliation, this may be another avenue for connection. I definitely co-sign the recommendations for university job boards and sororities, too!

    • Anon

      I highly recommend you post on _grad school_ boards. Grad students are less flaky than college kids. Separately though, if you can find a sorority gal–do that. If she’s tied up, her sorority-mates can step in, and you “inherit” a new sitter every few years. I know you’re in Boston–pick one of the schools nearby and there will be some students with cars who relish the cash. I agree that you should make it clear you’re looking for nanny-plus, including light cooking/housework/scheduling. The right person will welcome the break from “just staring at the kids.” GL!

  4. Anon

    How do you stop from fixating?

    I find that I do this and spin, replaying past things if it’s already happened or envisioning how I’d react in every scenario if it’s in the future (both good and bad versions). Sometimes it’s about an upcoming presentation, sometimes it’s about a new relationship, sometimes it’s about something I’m looking forward to next week, etc.

    My general life is really calm and nothing to chat or gossip about, so when one thing comes in that’s new and exciting or confusing or frustrating, I fixate. I already journal and meditate but it doesn’t stop the spinning on the one topic.

    Ideas? No health insurance and a very low paying job means I can’t afford therapy.

    • Anonnymouse

      This purely based on my won experience, but I often need to get strong feelings out to another person to get them out of my head. A chat with an understanding ear is so, so helpful to me. Do you have someone if your life like that, where you can be honest with your needs in this and ask for them to listen from time to time? maybe see how that goes for you. It looks like all your coping methods so far (while great!) are contained to yourself.

    • Anonymous

      I don’t really have advice for fixating on the future stuff, except perhaps to lean into it in a constructive way so that you run through everything that first time and then consider yourself officially “prepared.”
      I did used to fixate on things from the past — mostly embarrassing moments or things I felt like I did not handle as well as I could have but were not disasters requiring actual cleanup. The way I got over this was to sit and think of ten people close to me — some I like, some I don’t much like. For each one, I tried to think of all of their embarrassing moments that I had witnessed. In most cases, I couldn’t think of any. When I could, it was on the level of a literal pratfall, which happens to everyone and doesn’t really say anything at all about the person. I know I have witnessed many embarrassing moments for each of these people, but they don’t stick with me and certainly don’t color my perception of them. I don’t think most people have a good recall of such things or devote much bandwidth to keeping track of them. There is one professional error I won’t ever really get over, and I have turned that into a lesson and preventing it is now a deliberate part of my process.

    • Anonymous

      I think if this is happening in the middle of the night then welcome to adulthood we all do this if we can’t sleep.

      If it’s intruding on your day to day living then I think that’s more of a problem… maybe keep a log of your day and see if it’s happening at the same time or under the same circumstances every day. Are you tired, hungry, dehydrated, etc.

    • Anon

      I stay off social media. Listen to audiobooks if at night while going to sleep. Make fitness goals. If my mind goes into these spirals anyways, I remind myself that they are not constructive thoughts and that no one else cares.

  5. Anonymous

    So Facebook and Instagram are still down and I see pleas all over Twitter and here to use this as a jumping off point to stop using them altogether. In theory, I’m down with that, but I have a question — does anyone know of any other places/services/boards to connect with others who share a specific medical diagnosis? That’s the primary thing I use both for these days I will miss that if I don’t have it, but could otherwise live without this social media.

    • anon

      Reddit?

      I’m curious if this outage will prompt more people to quit the platform for good. I still use it to connect with people I wouldn’t ordinarily have much contact with, but I hate that I’ve bought into the Facebook universe. I know the downsides are many.

    • anon

      Reddit is great for this. We have a kid with a chronic health condition and the reddit for her diagnosis is invaluable.

    • Anonymous

      No, but if you really want to do this, you could create a new profile and limit your use to membership in those groups. Don’t invite friends, follow anyone, like things, or generally surf. Your feed will become pretty boring. I know this from experience.

    • Anon

      Redd1t with caveats. I have an unusual chronic illness and I joined the r for it, but at least 50% of the regular posters are people who imagine they have the illness but haven’t been diagnosed. There are plenty who insist they have it who have specifically been told by their doctors that they don’t, and they come to the r group for “support.”

      I’m seeking information about my own diagnosed condition and not looking to affirm anyone else’s imaginary disease/need for attention so I do find it very frustrating.

      That said, it’s no worse than the FB group for the same thing.

    • Anon

      The outage is clearly a response to the 60 Minutes Interview. Once they’re done shredding the evidence, so to speak, everything will be running fine.

    • Anonymous

      I am totally fascinated by this question because I have only ever used Reddit for this! I joined a subreddit for my illness, and then found a Discord for people with my subdiagnosis there. Super helpful. Will have to check out FB and Instagram as
      I’ve literally never thought to look there.

  6. Anonymous

    Sharing here because I can’t tell anyone IRL: I’m pregnant! What was your “reveal” like to family and friends?

    • LaurenB

      We told each side of our family at dinner, and I called my friends to let them know. There was no big “reveal” because it’s not a big moment in anyone else’s life other than your own.

      My sister announced her pregnancy to our family by having us for dinner and then giving us each little charms that were baby-related (rattle, etc). But again – it’s not THE moment and it’s not that important in the scheme of things. It’s like fixating on the exact moment you say I do or whatever.

    • Bean74

      I found out right before Mother’s Day that I was pregnant. I got my mom a Grandma card, and signed it from the new baby, saying “I can’t wait to meet you in December!” I found a Mother’s Day card for my mother-in-law that said something about mommy school. I wrote in there something along the lines of “The best moms get promoted to Grandma. Study hard – commencement will be In December!” My son was her first grandchild. He was my mom’s 7th so she was a little confused but caught on pretty quick. She honestly thought it was from our dog at first! Our siblings were around for both announcements, and we called or texted or told others as we saw them.

    • Anon

      My kids are older so I told people before the word reveal was a commonly used noun. My spouse of course was right there with me when I took the test so knew as soon as I did. I told my family members as soon as we knew, probably by phone, because if I had miscarried (which I did twice) I would have told them that too.

      I told friends along the way as it came up, like no I can’t go out drinking after work, please keep this quiet but….

      And I didn’t tell my work/my manager until I was into my second trimester. Which was kind of a joke with my youngest because my body just showed right away and when I finally told him, his reaction was “did you think I was blind?”

    • Anon

      Congratulations! We just told our family over the phone (they moved far away at the time), and called or texted friends to share the news. A cutesy reveal is nice but not necessary. We had miscarried once prior to that pregnancy so people were just thrilled to hear the news and be there to support us no matter the outcome.

    • Anon

      Congrats! I’m a private person and wanted to minimize the risk of having to disclose a miscarriage, so we told our parents and close friends (over the phone) after the 14 week appointment where we heard the heartbeat. Other people found out once I looked obviously pregnant.

  8. Anon318

    Yesterday’s Office Life thread was fascinating to me. I have the opportunity to influence the design of new office space for my company and I’m looking for ideas. We are in pandemic response and, for the most part, have been in-office for the duration of the pandemic (everyone is getting gigantic bonuses, extra time off, and has been effectively encouraged to take time off/use support resources. The redesign is in no way trying to make up for the last 18 months, our lease in our current space is just up soon). In the before times, what was your favorite part of your workplace? Availability of huddle spaces? Well-placed plants? Freedom to decorate your office? Out-of-the-box decoration of your office so you didn’t have to do anything? Was the kitchen/break room great and why? Anything that put a smile on your face as you walked through the space? Thanks in advance!

    • Anonymous

      Give everyone a private office with a window that opens and has a screen.

    • Anonymous

      Fruit basket subscription, with loads of fresh fruit delivered each week.

      No stingyness on techiqal or ergonomic stuff – need new headphones/cords/better lamp/chair? Handed over or delivered right away (within budget, of course, but have a budget!)

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